Breaking down Penn State's 2011 September schedule

JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-NewsUnfortunately for the Penn State defense, it will be forced to try and stop Trent Richardson, who rushed for 144 yards against the Nittany Lions last year.

Last year, Penn State’s early-season game at Alabama was one of the highlights of college football’s non-conference slate. In September, Alabama will make the return trip to Penn State to finish off the home-and-home series, once again making it one of the more interesting non-conference matchups college football will see.

The Nittany Lions 2011 non-conference schedule looks a lot like last year’s with the opener against a Football Championship Subdivision team, games against Alabama and Temple and a game against a MAC opponent.

September record since 2000: 30-19 (includes four August games)Did you know?: Penn State has played in-state opponent Temple 40 times since their inaugural meeting in 1931. Penn State has played its other three September opponents – Indiana State, Alabama and Eastern Michigan – a total of 15 times combined – and 14 of those games have come against the Crimson Tide.

Now, here’s a game-by-game look at Penn State’s September schedule.

Sept. 3: Indiana StateLast meeting: Never.All-time: 0-0Opponent’s 2010 record: 6-5 For the third time in four seasons, the Lions will open up with an FCS (formerly Division I-AA) team. The Lions have never played Indiana State before, but the Lions have dominated the state of Indiana historically; the Lions are 14-0 against Indiana and 10-3-1 against Purdue.

Not surprisingly, the Sycamores haven’t had much success against Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) recently, failing to score more than 10 points in their last four games against FBS teams, most recently losing to Cincinnati 40-7 in 2010. The Sycamores did beat Youngstown State 30-24, though, and the Penguins gave the Lions all they could handle for a half before Chaz Powell took the opening kickoff of the second half back for a touchdown to end any chance of a major upset.

No matter who starts at quarterback for the Lions, Rob Bolden or Matt McGloin, the offense should be able to have its way with a Sycamore defense that allowed nearly 30 points per game last year. The Lions shouldn’t have much of a problem surpassing that number and should push their winning streak in regular-season openers to 10 games.

Sept. 10: AlabamaLast meeting: 24-3, Alabama, 2010All-time: 9-5, AlabamaOpponent’s 2010 record: 10-3At first glance, last September’s 24-3 loss to the defending national champions doesn’t look so bad. However, it is clear Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban called off the dogs in the second half so as to not embarrass the Nittany Lions and more so Joe Paterno. The Lions had no answer for the passing offense of the Tide, a primarily run-first offense. Trent Richardson thrashed the defense for 144 yards rushing, and the Tide held the Lions scoreless for the game’s first 50 minutes. And the Tide did all that without stars Mark Ingram and Marcel Dareus.

Much of that Tide offense is gone now, including Greg McElroy, Julio Jones and Ingram, but Alabama still stocked with talent all over the place. Offensively, it might take a while for the Tide to jell on offense as they still have yet to decide on a starting quarterback, which should help a Lions defense that will be better in 2011. Defensively, though, Alabama is still stacked and, with more questions along the Lions’ offensive line, could wreak havoc in the backfield all afternoon.

This is undoubtedly a statement game for the Lions, who have struggled against top tier opponents over the last several years and will almost certainly be home underdogs. An early-season win against a top 10 Alabama team would give the Lions the kind of momentum that could keep carry them into Big Ten contention until that murderous three-game stretch to end the season. The Lions will have to play a perfect game to beat the Tide, though, and the Lions were nothing close to that in Tuscaloosa last season.

Sept. 17: at TempleLast meeting: 22-13, Penn State, 2010All-time: 36-3-1, Penn State Opponent’s 2010 record: 8-4If not for an inept passing game, the Owls, coached by Paterno protégé Al Golden, would have walked out of Beaver Stadium with their first win against the Lions since 1941. Golden has since bolted to Miami (Fla.), though, and has been replaced by Steve Addazio, an assistant at Florida under Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator of the Florida team that defeated Penn State in the Outback Bowl.

Departed is stud defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, a first-round pick, and second-round cornerback Jaiquawn Jarrett, but the Owls still have the pieces in place to upset the Lions. Bernard Pierce (who was injured against Penn State last year) is a legitimate threat at running back and Harrisburg native Adrian Robinson is a menace at defensive end but struggled last season.

Once again, the one thing that could prevent the Owls from upsetting Penn State is the lack of a passing game. Chris Coyer, Mike Gerardi and Chester Stewart (last year’s starter) are all competing for the starting job, but none of them instill much confidence in the Temple faithful.

Silas Redd could enjoy a big day if last year is any indication. After a horrid start to the season last year, Evan Royster ran for 187 yards against the Owls. Now without Wilkerson, Redd, a true home run threat, should be able to top the 100-yard mark.

The Lions will be favorites going into Lincoln Financial Field, but few would be

AP Photo/Matt RourkeSteve Addazio, right, in his first season as Temple coach, can earn his first big win as a head coach when Penn State visits Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 17.

surprised if the Owls pulled off the upset, giving Addazio his first signature win as Temple’s coach.

Sept. 24: Eastern MichiganLast meeting: 52-7, Penn State, 1992All-time: 1-0, Penn StateOpponent’s 2010 record: 2-10The bad news for Eastern Michigan: they won only two games last season. The good news for Eastern Michigan: they actually won two games last season. The Eagles were coming off a winless 2009 season, so a two-win season is an improvement. They also have seemed to find their quarterback of the future with Alex Gillett, a dual-threat signal caller who led the team in passing (1,633 yards) and rushing (766) a season ago.

There isn’t much hope for the Eagles defense, though. The Eagles allowed 43.9 points per game last year, which ranked 118th out of FBS 120 teams. They also ranked 118th in rush defense and allowed 6.1 yards per carry, which means Redd should have two big weeks in a row.

If the Lions settle on a quarterback, the offense should be far enough long at this point to put a drubbing on the Eagles, and this game has all the ingredients for the most lopsided Lions victory of the 2011 season, which should give the Lions confidence and momentum heading into their Big Ten opener the following week at Indiana.

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